On the legal topic, @melis_tailored is spot on. I think we settled on 45 seconds as more of a global average and expected that it would ruffle some feathers, but ultimately lead to a dialogue and resolution since we’re presenting an utterly new model here.
Yucky legalz out of the way, I find myself almost overwhelmed as where to start. Thrilled that these forums exist now, as I’ve had conversations with hundreds of people about all the above. Wonderful, personal moments, but lost to history.
Everything you’re all saying @Iamupinthecloud @KallieMarie @Sam_Martyn @agaitaarino @LLK has been echoed, in varying degrees, by many others. Eager to share some background and thinking and usher sincere apologies in other regards…
First, OMG I was totally geeked out on the 9 plays doubling numbers. I apologize for that. DEFINITELY my bad. (My lame justification was, the first play is better than YouTube – by far the biggest music streaming service – second is same, er, better as Spotify, but wait until the next play…!)
Good news on that front is that the board voted to guarantee a penny per play. (You’ll hear more about why later. Might already be in affect now.) And maybe a launching point for further evolutions of the stream2own model itself.
Probably the simplest solution is a monthly subscriber share model, where your monthly fee is divvied up against exactly what you listen to. Ownership could probably be figured out still (aggregate per song spends) and the whole thing could be opt in.
Another idea is (if its not technically PRO illegal) is to have a third setting for artists. Not just “free” and “paid” but “first play free” as well.
And here’s where it gets messy. The customization part. The more there are, the greater the potential cognitive burden of having too many different rates and options and buy ins from hundreds of artists. Totally works at Bandcamp, because that’s a store. But deadly in a medium where anxiety is a buzzkill.
Think that’s where this whole thread started – anxiety + tension – so feels like a good thing to focus on, as I try to wrap up my already long-winded monologue…
I’ve had at times 50 euros of credits in my account and never thought once about the per song rate. Was never worth paying attention to. I still long for a “HIDE” button (rather than block) but I never gave the rates a second thought, because I knew these were just fractions. And now with a penny a play to start? Even simpler. (Think about it… pennies are still in the real world, just fractions of anything approaching value.)
That said, its just my perspective, as one member among many. And I sincerely believe that if anyone else feels anxious that they’re counting pennies (or fractions thereof, as the listener credit counts are staying the same for now) then I think that’s an immediate call for the Subscriber Share model. Set it at what you want (5, 10, 20 a month). Maybe we’ll have to throttle heavy usage at some point, but I kinda doubt it. Would love to hear if others think that would eliminate the anxiety issue?